


The World Gets Bigger

by kuraragi



Series: PokeDori [2]
Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Minor Character Death, mention of yukina's dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 23:24:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuraragi/pseuds/kuraragi
Summary: Yukina moved from one region of islands to another, but her world was still narrow.





	The World Gets Bigger

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Another story of this universe because I’m kind of invested now, lol. Not sure how far this will go, but I guess we’ll see. 
> 
> Uh, every Pokemon knows more than four moves cuz I don’t wanna create fixed movesets (I already chose over 150 Pokemon for all these twenty-five girls lmao, please cut me some slack). Coordinating and Performing also exists in every region besides Alola. Grand Coordinators are a thing as well, and is the equivalent to a Champion for Coordinators. 
> 
> Warnings? Enemy Teams are more violent than in canon (this universe in general is just gonna be more violent than the canon). I'm pretty sure there is a single curse in here. 
> 
> Not proofread. 
> 
> Note that these updates will not always be in chronological order. 
> 
> With all that out of the way, happy reading!

Yukina remembers the day she and her father left Alola like it was yesterday. 

It had only been a few months since she had officially become a Pokemon trainer. Her Litten had grown significantly in the first few months, and its reliability and strength allowed her to catch and befriend an Eevee and a Meowth (which Yukina now knows is considered an Alolan Meowth because there exists another species of Meowth that is found on every region except Alola). Her journey with her three Pokemon in Alola was cut short when her father decided to move to the Hoenn region. 

Yukina was sixteen now, and she still found herself wanting to be anywhere else but Hoenn. 

Don’t get her wrong, Yukina thought that Hoenn was beautiful in its own way. There were many places to visit and spend time in, including the Cave of Origins, the Seafloor Cavern, Meteor Falls, the Ancient Tomb, and many other places that spotted the Hoenn region. The climate was similar to Alola in certain cities like Dewford Town and Pacifidlog Town, and there was plenty of ocean to remind Yukina of her home region. But the difference in dialect, and the difference in some Pokemon were always there as if to tell Yukina that she was in fact in a foreign land, despite having lived here for five years. 

The city she lived in, Lilycove City, was another city that reminded Yukina of Alola. The city was very popular among tourists due to the existence of the harbor for the S.S Tidal, the Lilycove Museum, the Cove Lily Motel, and of course, the Lilycove Department Store. There was also the establishment of the Contest Spectacular Hall, which contributed greatly to bringing back the city to its previous liveliness. Said Contest Hall is the reason Yukina’s father wanted to move to Hoenn in the first place, as there weren’t such things as Contests and Coordinators in Alola. There was a certain charm to the Island Challenges, but like her father, Yukina didn’t exactly find them appealing. 

Pokemon Contests were a whole other thing, and the entire reason Yukina hadn’t gone out to travel herself at her age was because she was very attracted to the art her father created with his Pokemon during Contests. Her father was a natural, and quickly made a name for himself, becoming the Grand Coordinator of Hoenn within a couple years of them arriving in Hoenn. They had originally established themselves in Pacifidlog Town (it was between Dewford and Pacifidlog, but the setup of the town of Pacifidlog sparked their interest, and Yukina and her father decided to move there), and her father’s name brought many people to the town where the morning sun smiles upon the waters. But after realizing that the commute to Lilycove was more strenuous than they had first thought, Yukina’s father decided to move them to Lilycove to be closer to the heart of Pokemon Contests in Hoenn. 

Of course, they still had to travel to other cities so that her father could have earned his five ribbons, but now that he was the Grand Coordinator, they were able to stay in Lilycove, unless her father was requested as a guest judge, or to show off in an exhibition. Yukina was older now though, so her father no longer felt the need to bring her along every time he went off for business, and this left Yukina with time to herself. 

The time she spent on her own allowed her to catch another Pokemon, a Zangoose, and also evolve the rest of her Pokemon. Her Torracat wasn’t quite ready to evolve again, but she didn’t mind the time she had to put in for it. She also spent time watching Contests at the Hall in Lilycove, and practiced on her own in secret, lest her father begin shadowing her. Yukina wanted to one day show her father her own art that she developed on her own, but she was still learning, and felt that she wasn’t quite up to par to show her father. 

There was never enough time for everything though, and the next thing Yukina knew, she received a phone call from a police station that told her that her father had been killed. A rogue group that went by the name of Team Magma had been lurking in Sootopolis City, and her father had gone to investigate to try and stop them because there would be an event there in the coming days, and he didn’t want anything to disturb the peace. Local witnesses reported that her father and his Pokemon had been killed after being ambushed, and by the time the police had arrived at the scene, Team Magma was gone, and her father was dead. Other citizens had suffered from injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones, but other than her father and his Pokemon, there were no casualties. 

Yukina wanted to be happy that no one else had to die at the hands of an evil organization, but the loss of her only family member broke Yukina. Neighbors brought her food and checked up on her for the next couple weeks, and though Yukina appreciated their care, she didn’t think they made her feel any different. Her only solace were her Pokemon, and with that, Yukina decided that she would follow in her father’s footsteps, and reclaim his title. 

Her father only had three Pokemon as the Grand Coordinator of Hoenn, and because of that, Yukina didn’t think that she needed to catch any more Pokemon than her current four. With her four Pokemon, Yukina managed to climb the ranks in the Coordinating world in just one season, and in the following Grand Contest, won the Hoenn Cup, and reclaimed the title of Grand Coordinator for the Minato name. Her quick rise to fame brought a lot of attention to her, and though she didn’t exactly mind, it wasn’t her favorite time of her day. She would much rather prefer to sail to a lone island somewhere off the main island of Hoenn and spend her time with her Pokemon without anyone around to bother them. 

Like her father, Yukina was often requested to guest judge and show off before certain Contests, but unlike her father, Yukina had been called to meet with the Champion of Hoenn, and take part in an exhibition match to show off the different strengths of Trainers and Coordinators. Yukina had participated in Contest Battles before, of course, but she was told that the format would abide to Challenge Battles, as the rules for those were common knowledge, as not every Trainer branched off to become a Coordinator. Yukina didn’t necessarily start as a Trainer though, and started off as a Coordinator. Due to this, she wasn’t aware of how Challenge Battles worked, and after learning the rules, found them to be barbaric. 

“So they just battle until one or both Pokemon is unable to battle? Isn’t that damaging to the Pokemon? That sounds horrible.” Yukina said with a creased brow. Sure, there were times in the Battle Stage of Contests where one Pokemon will be knocked out and unable to continue, but more than not, it was about presenting the moves in appealing ways in the alloted time. 

“Well that’s just how it is, I guess. I used to participate in those same battles before finding a passion for Coordinating!” Kasumi, Kanto’s Grand Coordinator, said. 

“But didn’t you ever feel bad for your Pokemon?” 

“Huh? O-oh, I-I never really thought of it like that... My battling days were also so long ago, I don't think I can really give you a solid answer.” she finished sheepishly. Yukina’s opinion on Pokemon battling was established, and it certainly didn’t change after the exhibition match with Hoenn’s Champion, Mitake Ran. 

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

_"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please, as I introduce to you our two special Trainers who will be showing us an exhibition match today for this year’s Hoenn League!"_ the crowd cheered loudly, excited for the appearance of the two Trainers despite already knowing who they are. 

_“You all know her well. Her fame spiked just last year because of how easily she climbed the ranks and dominated every Coordinator in the Hoenn region! Defending her title for the first time this year, is our very own Minato Yukina!”_ roses of deep blues and purples shot out from cannons above the tunnel she entered the stadium from, and though Yukina has been in large arenas before, she wasn’t quite used to the theatrics and standing ovation-like cheers she was receiving without even having shown anything yet. She still had an image to uphold, and she walked with confident steps, and her head held high. When she entered one of the challenger boxes, the announcer began again. 

_“And now I present to you her opponent--she is known far and wide for her fiery presence on the battlefield! She will be defending her title of Champion for the third time this very week! The one, the only, Mitake Ran!”_ if Yukina thought the crowd was loud for her, then she was severely unprepared for the cheers the Hoenn Champion received. Red and black confetti in all shapes rained down from the cannons as Mitake Ran walked out just as confidently as Yukina had--at least, that’s what it looked like at first glance. As Yukina scanned her opponent a few times over, she immediately noticed the obvious hesitation in Ran’s steps, and darting eyes. If Yukina had learned anything from her father, it was that confidence was key to starting out any kind of match. To be arrogant and cocky was an advantage, and Yukina did just that as she watched her opponent enter their challenger box. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Minato-san!” Ran yelled. “This is my first time against a Coordinator, so I hope we have a good match!” Yukina granted her a nod, but did nothing more. 

_“As I’m sure you all know, this match will be formatted as a standard Challenge Battle, but with a twist! In order to honor the Coordinators watching, we will have a timer set, and also comment on how each move is presented! With that out of the way, let’s get to their Pokemon!”_

“Alright Blaziken,” Ran started. “Let’s fire things up!” the lanky fire-type Pokemon emerged with an impressive display of dominance as it yelled into the air, igniting the mood even more than it previously was, both figuratively and literally as the flames from its arms roared up to surround it before dying down again. 

_“And out comes Ran’s partner Blaziken! A strong and skillful opponent to our Grand Coordinator.”_ Yukina debated going in strategically with her Espeon, but she knows that the Blaziken was Ran’s first Pokemon from the interviews she watched prior to this match, and because of it, she decided to go with her first Pokemon as well. 

“Incineroar, on stage!” her own fire-type Pokemon emerged in a similar manner to Ran’s Blaziken, roaring into the air with its chest puffed out as it sized its opponent. Something that radiated off of Ran’s Blaziken must have kicked her Incineroar into overdrive because it turned to look at her with a fierce and excited gaze. 

_“And Yukina also brings out her partner, the fire-type starter from the Alola region! A clash between fire-types, ladies and gentleman! Who will come out on top?!”_ the crowd responded to the rhetorical question with more screams and cheers, and Yukina couldn’t help but find in unbearable. _“Without further ado, let the battle begin!”_ a bell went off, signalling the start, and one look at one another told Yukina that Ran was going to make the first move. 

“Okay Blaziken, let’s start things off with Fire Punch! Don't let up!” the flames on the Pokemon’s wrists erupted to engulf its arms with raging fire, and its powerful legs shot it forward in less than two steps. 

“Incineroar, dodge.” Yukina knew right away that competing with Blaziken’s speed would not be an ideal strategy, so the best she could do since Ran started off with the offense was play smart. All her Incineroar needed was a bit of time to learn to side-step around the attacks. 

_“Blaziken comes out of the gates swinging, but Incineroar isn’t letting a single flame touch it! What amazing adaptability!”_ Yukina was used to seeing the bar that represented her opponent’s points going down since Ran’s Blaziken wasn’t landing a single hit, but no matter. Her Incineroar turned to her, and she knew then that it was ready. 

“Incineroar, Throat Chop.” another quick side-step gave her Incineroar the room to hand a direct hit, sending Blaziken back to its side of the field. It winced due to the attack landing its mark, but of course it wouldn’t do that much damage with Blaziken resisting dark-type moves. It mattered little though, as she Incineroar was now used to the speed. 

_“A solid attack from Incineroar! Does Blaziken have a counter?”_

“Blaziken, get close to it!” 

“Don’t let it!” the two began going back and forth as her Incineroar attempted to outrun its opponent. But no amount of side-stepping was going to get her Incineroar out of Blaziken’s range, and in no time, it got way too close for comfort. 

“Sky Uppercut!” Blaziken got low before shooting up and landing a harsh uppercut to her Incineroar. It lifted into the air before coming down with a thud, but her Incineroar tumbled and got back into a ready stance, knowing full well that it wouldn’t be able to keep up, but ready nonetheless. 

_“And Blaziken fights back with a Sky Uppercut after chasing down the quick Incineroar! What a display of control over its overwhelming speed!”_

“Do it again, Blaziken!” Ran said. Yukina was just now scanning her opponent, and the bob-haired woman was smiling widely at the straightforward strategy. It was only going to work on her once though, and her Incineroar knew it full well. Ran had to change something if she really wanted to land another hit. 

“Keep away from it.” Yukina watched again as her Incineroar tried its best to keep a distance from the faster fire-type, but to no avail. Yukina’s eyes didn’t once leave the Blaziken though, watching its moves carefully. 

_“And there it is! Blaziken has closed in once again!”_ the lift of the knee was all Yukina needed, and a quick glance at her Incineroar told her that it picked up on it too. 

“Blaziken, High Jump Kick!” the Champion yelled out. The Blaze Pokemon leaped forward quick with its knee extended. Yukina has seen this countless times in previous battles, and so has her Incineroar. They waited till the last moment before making their move, timing it just right after her Incineroar was able to roughly measure the speed. 

“Incineroar, dodge, and use Focus Energy!” as if performing its signature Darkest Lariat, her Incineroar twirled out of the impact point, unfazed by the rush of wind by the sheer power of that High Jump Kick. Ran’s Blaziken crashed hard into the ground, reeling from the damage it took. That window of opportunity was perfect for Yukina, and she knew her Incineroar was on board when it locked eyes with her. 

_“A seamless dodge by Yukina’s Incineroar! Can Ran and her Blaziken recover fast enough, or is this it for the Hoenn Champion?!”_ the announcer yelled, inciting screams from the crowd within and outside of the stadium. 

“C’mon Blaziken, shake it off!” Ran commanded from her side of the field. The heavily-damaged Pokemon made a valiant effort to rise, but the pain was too apparent. 

_“So reckless…”_ Yukina thought as she watched and pitied the injured Pokemon. She glanced at the timer that dictated how much was left in the match, and thought this was the perfect time to finish. 

“Incineroar, let’s end this with Cross Chop!” the Heel Pokemon rushed forward ready to strike its incapacitated opponent, when the timer went off, telling of the end of the match. Just as she had planned, Yukina’s Incineroar stopped just a breath away from Ran’s Blaziken, and at the sight of the two still Pokemon, the crowd erupted in applause. 

_“A brilliant finish by Yukina and her Incineroar after a fierce and fiery match between two of Hoenn’s greats!”_ the crowd stood to applaud the two talented trainers. 

Yukina met her Incineroar on the field and reached out to scratch the underside of the tiger-like Pokemon’s jaw. She reached into her bag to retrieve a PokeBlock for her Incineroar, pulling out a green one. Her Incineroar looked at it strangely before taking the candy and eating it. The fire-type Pokemon made a bit of a face, but ate it nonetheless. Yukina just sighed. 

“Sorry about the PokeBlocks. I guess we can go buy some on the way back home.” Yukina retrieved another and took a bite out of it. She nearly spit it out, but held stoic as she swallowed the incredibly bitter candy. Her Incineroar grinned, amused, but Yukina just rolled her eyes in response.

“Minato-san!” Ran called. She approached Yukina and her Incineroar with her Blaziken, and though the Blaze Pokemon still looked a tad beat-up, it looked much better. A Potion of some kind must have been used for immediate relief. Another girl was with her, and Yukina wondered for a moment why she hadn’t noticed her before. “That battle was incredible. I wanted to thank you for coming out here for the exhibition match. I hope we can do this again some day. Maybe next time we can lean more towards a Contest Battle?” 

“Wah~, Ran didn’t stutter at all~” the other girl commented.

“M-Moca!” Ran snapped, her face red with embarrassment. She turned quickly to Yukina. “A-anyway, thank you again for the match.” she bowed before turning and speed walking away. 

“Eh, why did you bow, Ran-chan~?” Yukina heard. 

“B-because you made me nervous!” Ran swiped uselessly at the other girl who simply laughed at Ran’s expense. The wish for a rematch was nice, but Yukina doesn’t think she’d like it. Ran was much too reckless with her Blaziken, and as a Champion, Yukina figured that Ran was the embodiment of a majority of the trainers who aspired to become regional Champions. With that in mind, Yukina figured she’d never get along with or be associated with trainers who battle with their Pokemon like this. No, not ever. 

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

It had been a few months since the exhibition match with Mitake Ran, and since then, Yukina hasn’t been able to keep her eyes away from trainers who participate in Challenge Matches. Since her match with Ran, she’s been noticing and nitpicking all the trainers she passes by at the fields placed behind Centers, occasionally will watch a challenge at a Gym, or will view online tournaments and competitions. Yukina recognizes the passion in each of the trainers’ eyes, but still can’t figure out what there is to be passionate about. The act of pitting two Pokemon against one another with sheer force to see which comes out on top is frightening to someone who takes care of her Pokemon with extra care. She couldn’t even imagine what it’d be like on the other end of a rampaging Slaking with no technique. The thought was absurd. 

Yukina figured she spoke too soon when she thought that she would never associate herself with trainers who participate in Challenge Matches. Because the next thing she knew, there were a pair of girls temporarily moving into the house next to hers. Well, only one of them was. The other was just escorting her over and would be on her way in a few days of making sure the girl staying was settled in. Yukina found out their names to be Imai Lisa, a Breeder, and Hikawa Sayo, a Gym Leader. They were both from Sinnoh, and Lisa was here to help out the local Breeders in caring for a species of Pokemon native to Sinnoh that they happened to find in the reef nearby. They were a Pokemon called Finneon, and the name intrigued Yukina greatly, causing her to approach the group of Breeders and Sinnohians. It wasn’t long till the native Breeders called her over. 

“Minato-san, look! These came all the way from Sinnoh!” one said enthusiastically before proceeding to take pictures and notes. 

“How do you think they came here? They had to have swam all the way around Kanto to get here.” another asked. 

“Probably the stuff going on with Galactic.” Sayo murmured. Lisa cast her a worried glance before Sayo stepped away to make a call. 

“Galactic?” a Breeder asked worriedly. “Who are they?” 

“They’re a villainous group who have been reported to raid ruins and steal power, forcing the powerplants to run overtime. They’ve also been disturbing the public by closing off access of the Lakes and even stealing Pokemon.” Lisa said shaking her head. 

“We have groups similar to that called Team Magma and Team Aqua. They’d been dealt with before, but they still lurk and preach about changing the Pokemon world. Luckily they often involve themselves in one another, so they usually don’t get in the way of the people. Just recently though…” they remembered Yukina and trailed off, avoiding her gaze. Lisa then turned to acknowledge her before getting up with a smile. 

“Hi! I’m Imai Lisa,” she stuck a hand out for Yukina to shake. Yukina wasn’t used to people being this forward and hesitantly took the offered hand. 

“Minato Yukina.” she said shortly. The other girl gasped and clapped her hands together. 

“So you’re Hoenn’s Grand Coordinator! It’s nice to meet you! I watched your match against your region’s Champion, and you did so well! You could probably try for Champion if you were willing.” she said encouragingly. Her? Willing? No, not her. 

“As if I would involve myself with such horrendous battling.” Yukina remarked with a scoff. 

“Excuse me?” another voice jumped in. When Yukina looked up, she noticed the return of Sayo. Her expression wasn’t very open to friendly conversation, and Yukina then remembered that Sayo was a Gym Leader. No matter. 

“Uh, Sayo-” 

“I said that I wouldn’t involve myself with such horrendous battling like those that probably occur at your Gym.” Yukina said proudly. Sayo’s eyes narrowed, and her already lanky frame appeared to heighten as she took a step closer. 

“I’ll have you know that my battle style is not to be mocked by anybody, especially not by somebody as phony as a Coordinator.” her green orbs gave Yukina a look up and down, sizing the smaller silverette. 

“Sayo-chan, that’s not-” 

“Phony? What part of the art of Coordinating is phony? Oh, but I guess I shouldn’t expect too much from someone as ignorant as a Gym Leader. Tell me, do you promote the abuse of Pokemon?” if Glare could be used by human beings, Yukina would have been paralyzed in place because of how hard of a glare Sayo was giving her. She brushed it off though. Yukina wouldn’t be intimidated by someone like this. 

“I’ll have you know that I take great pride in the care of Pokemon. And what part isn’t? Half your competition is a talent show, and the other half is a battle with no real effort.” 

“Hey, girls-” 

“Talent show? No real effort? You have no idea the level of control needed for the Performance and Battle Stages, what with your mindless attacks that have no thought or technique behind them.” 

“No thought or technique? Have you ever even seen a real Challenge Match before?” of course she has, but Yukina wouldn’t admit to it. 

“Why would I invest my precious time and effort into watching something as brainless as a Challenge Match when I can use that time and effort into preparing for Contests?” 

“Because maybe then you’ll know that you’re the ignorant one.” 

“Hey, you two!” Lisa stuck her hands between them and pushed Sayo back several feet. “It looks like we got off on the wrong foot, yeah? Why don’t we start over?” she then faced Sayo completely and appeared to be pleading with her. The latter just rolled her eyes before muttering something and calling out a winged Pokemon. She then climbed it expertly before the Pokemon took off somewhere west. Lisa then turned around and clapped her hands together. “I’m really sorry about her. She’s really not a bad person, I promise.” Yukina rolled her eyes before walking off. Lisa surprisingly didn’t say anything, and though Yukina could feel the brunette’s eyes on her, she didn’t dare turn around. 

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

The day Sayo was set to depart for Sinnoh, reports came in of a mysterious group of people at the mouth of the nearby cove. A Jogger said they noticed the red scheme of their hooded uniforms and said that though they weren’t sure, could very much be Team Magma. 

“I’ll deal with it.” Sayo said bluntly before beginning to walk off. 

“H-hikawa-san, we couldn’t possibly ask you to go out of your way like this.” one of the locals said. 

“It’s fine.” Lisa said. “It’s the least we can do as experienced Trainers. I’ll come with.” Lisa said, but was stopped by Sayo’s arm. 

“I’ll go alone. This won’t take long.” though Yukina didn’t want to spend anymore time with Sayo than she had to, this felt personal to her. She followed in Sayo’s footsteps, and in no time, the Gym Leader swerved around, forcing Yukina to stop in her tracks. “I said I’ll deal with it.” she said firmly. 

“Two is always better than one isn’t it?” Yukina tried. 

“Not when one of us is an incompetent battler. I’m not going into a potentially dangerous situation with someone as fragile as you.” Sayo’s glare hardened further, wordlessly refusing Yukina’s presence. 

“Well excuse you, I can take care of myself.” Yukina shoved the other girl aside before storming off. She wasn’t sure whether she was more upset or relieved when footsteps followed behind her. Because even though she didn’t like being around the teal haired Sinnohian, she found it much more comforting to have someone with her as she potentially approached the people who killed her father. 

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

As they neared the mouth of the cove, Yukina’s steps started becoming much more hesitant in their assurance. Sayo didn’t stop in the slightest though, so Yukina racked up the courage to follow her as they began hearing voices. From the wall they hid behind, Yukina counted at least four different voices. She wasn’t quite taking in what they were saying, as all she could imagine were the plethora of Team Magma Grunts she saw when she first read an article of her father’s heroic yet untimely death. She recalls the red themed outfits with black horns, and distinctly remembers the insignia they use to show their presence. She must have been out of it for quite a bit, because the next thing she knows, Sayo is right in front of her, too close to what she’s used to as someone who always keeps people at an arm’s distance. 

“Yukina!” she whisper-yells, jolting Yukina back to reality. Her surprise causes her to smack the back of her head against the wall, and from the corner of her eye, she spots several Poochyenas and Mightyenas turning towards them and snarling. “Shit.” Sayo mumbles before immediately retrieving a Pokemon. 

“Absol!” she says, and out comes the Disaster Pokemon. It stood tall, making the slight advantage it had in height even more evident. The confidence in its stance mirrored Sayo’s, the two unfazed though being so sorely outnumbered. The Bite Pokemon lunged at Sayo’s Absol using Bite and Crunch, but Absol managed to dodge them all. “Double Team.” in a split second, Sayo’s Absol reappeared too many times to count, and despite there being numerous Poochyenas and Mightyenas, the confusion on their trainers’ faces made them just as confused. “X-Scissor.” Absols aren’t known to be fast Pokemon, but the speed at which it took care of its enemies made it seem like they should be. Yukina has come across many Absols in her time in Hoenn, but none were as fast as this Absol. 

Looks of shock spread across the Grunts’ faces after being dealt with so easily, and they all looked to one another, trying to figure out what to do. Yukina had just begun to breathe again when an arm wrapped around her neck. She yelped at the harsh tug, and found that no matter how much she tugged, she couldn’t pry the arm away. She couldn’t breathe. 

Sayo whirled around, eyes expressing how pissed she was. A deep chuckle rumbled from behind her, and she spotted a Houndoom by her legs, spits of fire spilling from its teeth. The breath she had left was quickly leaving, and the more she struggled, the tighter the man behind her held her. It wasn’t until her feet could barely reach the ground that she squinted through tears to look at her companion. Sayo sported a familiar glare, but there was something different this time. Something in this look sparked something in Yukina, and the Coordinator was taken back to minutes earlier when they had been fighting. 

_“I can take care of myself.”_ is what she had said. But could she? Was she really as strong and reliable as she thinks? When something as pitiful as her father dying was all it took for her to crumble in fear and not be able to stand on her own two feet? Was she really worthy of being Hoenn’s Coordinator when she could barely stick up for herself? 

Sayo continued to stare, but if the short amount of time Yukina’s known Sayo has taught her anything, it was that Sayo’s eyes expressed more than she would ever say. Maybe she was being delusional. Maybe the lack of oxygen was already getting to her, and Yukina was hallucinating. But through her blurry eyes, Yukina could see Sayo telling her to stand for herself. An insult was thrown in here and there, telling Yukina that she was getting in the way, but that was her way of communicating. Yukina saw herself in Sayo in that moment, and it was then that she brought a hand to grip a Pokeball. Her life literally depended on it. 

Her movement must have been Sayo’s cue, as in that moment, Yukina hears Sayo yell something, before the man behind her shouts another thing. Heat radiated from her side, as well as the bright colors of flames that would have engulfed her had she not called out her Incineroar. The Heel Pokemon tore her away from the man’s grasp and protected her from the flames from the Houndoom. Her body curled in on itself as she clawed at her Incineroar, her hands trying to bring any more oxygen into her lungs than her lungs were already intaking. She coughed violently and wheezed as she attempted to reclaim the breath she had been deprived of, and the next thing she sees when she comes to is a curtain of teal, and hard but concerned green looking down at her. Her Incineroar was watching worriedly from over Sayo’s figure, standing around them like a blanket. Yukina spots Sayo’s Absol pacing around the cave, growling anytime a Grunt moved. 

“Hey, you gotta come to.” Sayo said. Her voice was softer than usual, but still rough around the edges. When her eyes focused, Sayo began to pull away. “They’ve been dealt with. The police should arrive soon.” she then looked towards the caves’ entrance before looking down again. “You probably don’t want the others to see you like this.” with that, Sayo helped her to her feet. Her Incineroar whimpered all the while, its large paws flopping uselessly as it wanted to help but didn’t know how. Sayo then passed Yukina off to her Incineroar, having Yukina hold onto the tiger-like Pokemon for balance. Sayo then moved to the concentrated Grunts, bringing out a Tyranitar and an Aggron to keep order. Yukina doubted any of them would try anything, but she figured it was just for precaution. 

Yukina had composed herself by the time the police arrived, and though she had initially wanted to join the civilians to tell them all was okay, she didn’t feel she was allowed to. After all, she hadn’t done anything, and just like Sayo had said, she was an incompetent battler. She sighed, moving to look for the taller girl, but she soon realized that she was nowhere in sight. She spotted Lisa, and the brunette beckoned her over. 

“Sayo-chan is gone, if that’s who you’re looking around for.” _what is she, psychic?_

“Oh, okay. I wanted to… you know, thank her… for helping out.” Yukina noted how much quieter she got as she went on. The guilt is very much still present. Lisa said nothing if she noticed, but she did end up grabbing Yukina’s hand and pulling her away from the crowd. She brought out a Pokemon Yukina wasn’t familiar with, and tugged Yukina onto it. The large Pokemon then spread out its wings and took off towards what appeared to be Southern Island. Not many people ventured out there, and Yukina herself sailed out there often when she wanted some time to herself. 

It was a relaxing flight, and Yukina enjoyed the freedom she felt as she normally took a private boat out to Southern Island. The boat, though private, kept her grounded to the earth, whereas up here, she felt that she could touch the far reaches of the sky with her very fingertips. Yukina has been told that she has a vivid imagination, and the sound of Lisa giggling brought Yukina back to reality, where she had her right hand extended up towards the clouds. She drew her arm back quickly, suddenly feeling much warmer than she did just minutes ago. It was rather cold up here in the air. 

“Is this your first time flying?” Lisa asked. She turned to face Yukina and made sure to hold her hair with one hand. With the wind whipping the brown locks across Lisa’s smiling face, Yukina couldn’t help but stare. Maybe she stared for too long. “Minato-san?” 

“Huh? Um, no, this isn’t my first time flying.” she averted her gaze towards the ocean. It looked so small from up here. Yukina could feel Lisa’s eyes still on her, and she sighed before turning back. “This is my first time flying on a Pokemon though.” Lisa’s smile widened, and Yukina turned towards the ocean again. 

“I can see that.” Lisa turned back and was silent for a few moments. “Oh! This is a Togekiss, by the way!” the flying Pokemon sounded happily at the acknowledgement. “It actually evolves from Togetic.” 

“Really? I didn’t know Togetics could evolve.” 

“Yup! It takes a long time to get it to evolve, but as long as there is a strong bond, you can’t go wrong. Right?” Lisa said before caressing the underside of the Pokemon. It sounded out again, dipping in the air before rising back up to express some sort of excitement. The movement startled Yukina, and her hands grasped quickly onto Lisa’s vest. They had straightened in the air almost immediately after, and Yukina felt her face burn up again when seeing how close she was to this near stranger. 

“S-sorry.” Yukina mumbled, nearly burying her face into the vest out of embarrassment, and only refusing to do so because then she would be invading this near stranger’s personal space even more. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We all go through these moments, haha. Not everyone’s perfect.” 

Perfection… That was something Yukina could only dream about achieving. To be able to get perfect scores for Contests; to be able to perfectly understand her Pokemon’s desires and needs; to be able to be the perfect Coordinator in the eyes of everyone in the Pokemon world. It was but a dream, but Yukina strived for it nonetheless. She pulled away from Lisa and straightened her posture. 

They descended slowly towards the Southern Island, and Yukina was relieved to see that the S.S Tidal wasn’t docked. That meant there weren’t a lot of people here, and Yukina was glad that she and Lisa would be able to… _Wait, what are we even doing here?_

“Imai-san-” 

“Lisa,” the brunette cut her off. “Call me Lisa.” she flashed a smile before returning to the front to watch her Togekiss land gracefully. She brought her right leg over to the left side before jumping off with a grunt. She swiveled to offer a hand to Yukina. “Can I call you Yukina?” the silverette in question took the hand firmly and followed Lisa’s actions. She stumbled a bit when she landed, but she managed to keep herself upright. She brought her eyes back up to meet Lisa’s expecting gaze. Yukina averted her eyes, choosing to stare into the dense forest that made up the majority of Southern Island. She hasn’t been here in a while, she thinks. 

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wanted this to finish differently, but I figured this was a good place to stop. 
> 
> I thought having Yukina and Sayo being really stubborn towards one another would be a fun dynamic to write. Not sure how well it translated from my mind, but the results are as you see :) 
> 
> For any of you hardcore PokeNerds out there, I know liking sweet things and disliking bitter things (Naive) doesn’t quite match the personality of your typical Incineroar, but giving it similar tastes to Yukina was what I was going for, and I’m gonna stick with it (cuz if the anime can be different than game-canon, then so can this story). But honestly, I doubt any of you would have noticed cuz I don’t know anyone who cared that much about Coordinating, and the anime never went into any depth about these things, so *shrug*
> 
> I think that’s all for now. Thanks for reading!


End file.
